


Expecting

by hallelujah99



Series: The Goodkind-Shalifoe Family [1]
Category: The Wilds (TV 2020)
Genre: Babies, F/F, Fluffy, Post-Canon, Pregnancy, Sweet, assuming they forgive Nora i guess lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-12 14:48:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28512165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hallelujah99/pseuds/hallelujah99
Summary: A collection of sweet moments throughout Shelby’s pregnancy and early in the baby’s life.
Relationships: Shelby Goodkind/Toni Shalifoe
Series: The Goodkind-Shalifoe Family [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2088612
Comments: 12
Kudos: 212





	Expecting

It’s hard to pinpoint the moment it started. 

You could say it started when Shelby became pregnant, but it was long before that. It started before Toni’s eggs were collected, before they settled on a blonde-haired, green eyed, singer as the donor, before their initial visit to the fertility clinic to talk about their options.

It started before their wedding, when Martha’s maid of honor speech hinted at them one day growing their family. You might look at the conversation they had, a year into officially dating, when they told each other they’d both like to be mothers one day, and think it started there. 

But for Toni and Shelby, it started in the forest, on the island. The first kiss, that connection. It was something their starving, terrified, confused, teenage brains couldn’t comprehend at the time, but as adults, with years of therapy behind them, they could look back fondly and nostalgically at that moment and identify the spark that was ignited. The feeling that eventually developed into “I not only want to spend the rest of my life with this person, I want to take on the challenge of raising new life with them.”

Of course, creating that new life was no small task. Injections, blood work, and so so much money went into it. Every bill that had to be paid, every hour worked to make the dream happen, made them more and more anxious for a baby. 

So when two pink lines appeared on that little stick, they both broke down crying. 

“Oh my god, oh my god, baby.” Toni choked out through her tears, barely able to breathe. 

“Baby. Baby.” Shelby replied, also a blubbering, joyful mess.

Toni dropped to her knees and covered her wife’s still-flat belly with kisses, whispering “I love you”s. 

After a day of sitting in their own, private, pure joy, they were excited to share their good news. Most women told their mothers first, but those relationships were tenuous on a good day. Luckily, they had a family full of women who would be overjoyed to become aunts. 

Shelby sat on Toni’s lap, one hand holding the positive test, one hand holding her phone to take the picture, while Toni wrapped her in a tight hug, resting her chin on her wife’s shoulder and grinning ear to ear. 

The responses came in and sure enough, the girls were all over the moon. Toni had to sternly remind them this was her and Shelby’s baby, there would be no “8-way-custody-arrangement” as some were requesting, but that aunties were welcome anytime to help cook and clean. 

_

Toni had made it a habit not to cry in front of strangers. Apart from Martha, her time on the island, and of course Shelby, Toni hadn’t cried in front of anyone since she was eight. Even her own therapist, despite reminders it was okay to do so. Toni felt her tears were something to be kept private, hidden away from anyone she couldn’t trust with her life.

Toni must have trusted the shit out of every single ultra-sound technician because she cried. Every time. 

The heartbeat scan, that really got to her. Shelby, her beautiful, perfect, loving, incredible wife, had grown a beating heart inside of her. 

Later on, as she watched tiny hands move about on the screen, she couldn’t keep from grabbing her wife and burying her head in her neck. “Baby, she’s moving, look!” Shelby whispered, but Toni needed a minute to not look. 

It was all too much, they were really bringing an entire person into the world. An entire person with ten little fingers and ten little toes and a head full of thoughts and an entire personality and soul. A perfect little person who she feared she might fuck up. After all, her mom had fucked her up. But then she looked at her wife. Her baby’s Mama. She’d do it right. She’d make sure their daughter had the life she deserves. Toni could trust that. 

She turned back just in time to see the baby open her tiny mouth for a second. (She cried again).

_

“What color crib do you like, babe?” Shelby asked one night in bed beside Toni. Toni looked at the choices before shrugging. “You know I don’t know anything about decorating.”

“Should I ask the group?” Shelby suggested.

Toni would come to regret agreeing. 

The next weekend found Fatin, Leah, Martha and Nora in the room that would be the nursery, taking measurements, online shopping, and engaging in passionate discussions about the implementation of a theme when designing a nursery. 

Dot and Rachel joined Shelby and Toni in their living room to chat and answer questions as they were yelled down from the nursery. (“No, Fatin, we are not willing to knock down a wall up there!”)

“So, are you having any cravings at all?” Dot asked Shelby. 

“Oh my god I can’t believe we haven’t told y’all!” Toni replied.

“What?” Dot asked.

Shelby blushed slightly “Well, you wouldn’t believe it but I have been eating Takis and lychee’s like nobody’s business.” 

Dot and Rachel erupted in laughter, and Toni added “Last night she was researching a farm where we could buy goat meat, too.” 

Dot shrugged “I get it. I crave that food now and then.” 

“Me too, but it’s become like pathological for her now.” Toni explained. 

“Maybe it means something.” Shelby suggested. 

“Maybe you’re crazy.” Rachel replied with an affectionate smirk. 

Later that evening, after the girls had all had eaten a nice dinner (spaghetti, not goat or anything like that) and Shelby and Toni were told all about the fabulous nursery Fatin was apparently paying for, the two of them snuggled into bed. 

Toni put her ear to Shelby’s abdomen, as she often did. “What’s little squirt saying?” Shelby asked.

“She’s saying you better not call her little squirt.”

“Well, not officially. Speaking of which…” Shelby raised her eyebrows. 

Toni pressed a kiss to her stomach before scooting up to kiss Shelby.

“Michaela?” Toni offered.

“Why Michaela? 

Toni shrugged “I just think it’s a nice name.”

“I guess, but I want to give her a name that has meaning somehow, you know?”

Toni nodded, she did know, Shelby had told her many times. 

“I want it to be like...I don’t know...a testament to something. Some type of deep meaning so that when she asks why we chose her name, we have a story.” 

Toni thought about that, about her and Shelby and their baby and their story. A story that started with a horrible, traumatic plane crash (at least, she’d thought it was one for a long time). But it didn’t really start there, it started in a forest, on an island. That’s where they’d fallen in love, where that spark had ignited, where everything had started growing, that now was growing inside Shelby. 

“Isla.” Toni whispered. 

She wasn’t sure if Shelby would think she was being serious, or if she even was. It was a difficult experience, and there was trauma associated with their time there, undoubtedly. But it had made them stronger, and brought them together, and that baby wouldn’t be without the island.

“Isla.” Shelby repeated. Her eyes were wide and she brought a hand down to stroke her belly. “Isla. Isla. Isla.” She tested the name on her tongue. 

“I mean we-“ Toni started but Shelby cut her off with the look in her eyes. 

“Isla.” Shelby smiled. 

_ 

Toni stayed strong for Shelby during her 14 hour labor. Holding her hand, rubbing her back, feeding her ice chips, giving her words of encouragement, and even praying with her for the very first time. 

When a nurse said “I know this is tough, but you’re doing great.” Shelby chuckled through the pain of a contraction and replied “I’ve been through tougher.” 

It had been grueling and quite frankly, kind of disgusting, but when Isla’s first cries rang out, her mothers fell in love. It was all so worth it. 

Toni had a long history of insisting that newborn babies were not cute. Once they had some weeks to unwrinkle and everything they might become cute, but fresh-out of the womb babies, not cute, across the board. 

“You’ll change your mind when it’s our own baby, though. You’ll think they’re gorgeous.” Shelby would tell her. 

“Maybe, but I won’t go around saying that I think she’s gorgeous, even if I think so, I’ll still know that no one else does.” Toni had stated, publicly, in front of all their friends.

It still didn’t surprise anyone when they gathered in the hospital room, hours after Shelby had given birth, and Toni held Isla, repeatedly saying “Isn’t she just the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?”

When Leah asked to hold Isla, Toni’s eyes shot daggers at her. “Come on babe, we talked about this.” Shelby said. “We’ll have all the time in the world to hold her.”

“Yeah you said the same shit with that nurse.” Toni replied, before reluctantly allowing her aunties to hold her, provided they stay seated with a pillow to support the baby’s head. 

The girls took turns sitting and holding Isla, always with Toni hovering nearby. They stoked her soft pink cheeks and marveled at the tiny whisps of her eyebrows. When she yawned, Rachel exclaimed “Oh look at that Shelby, she’s missing some of her teeth, just like you!” 

The entire time the girls visited, and fell in love with, Isla, Toni kept asking “Isn’t she the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?” and very clearly expecting an enthusiastic response every time. (She hadn’t slept in nearly 24 hours, and was deliriously in love, she couldn’t help it)

Just as Isla was finishing up being held by each of her aunts, she began to cry. “Isn’t that the most beautiful sound you’ve ever heard?” Toni asked, scooping Isla from Dot’s arms and gently rocking her. 

“I think she might be hungry babe.” Shelby said, as she pulled her hospital gown off her shoulder to feed Isla. 

“Aren’t those the most beautiful-“ Fatin started to joke before Dot sternly cut her off. She was not prepared to handle whatever exhausted and hormonal Toni’s reaction might be to hearing that joke.

Luckily, Toni was too wrapped up in peppering Shelby’s head with kisses and telling her what a super mom she was. 

_

Isla’s first month flew by in a haze of sleepless nights, piles of dirty laundry, and too many cute moments to count. 

Toni walked into the nursery early one morning to find Shelby, asleep in the rocking chair, and Isla, asleep in her arms. She moved to gently pick Isla up and woke Shelby in the process. 

“Oh my Lord. How could I do this?” Shelby gasped. Toni looked at her, confused. 

Shelby’s eyes welled with tears “I coulda dropped her. I coulda dropped her right on the floor and she coulda hit her head and…” Shelby started to hyperventilate. Toni swiftly placed Isla in her crib and rushed back to her wife. 

“Breathe, baby, let’s breathe in on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.” Toni was so grateful that they’d had individual and joint therapy sessions. She knew what worked for her wife, and vice-versa. 

After Shelby calmed, Toni took her into her arms. “You’re doing a great job babe. The best job. I’m so confident that she’s gonna turn out well, and it’s gonna be because of you. You are patient and caring and sweet and you always seem to know just what she needs. It’s not a big deal that you fell asleep. She’s okay, okay? Let’s look.”

She held Shelby’s hand as the peered into the crib. Isla, flat on her back, her arms up by her head. She wore a tiny onsie from Fatin that probably cost more than Dot’s entire wardrobe. On her feet were little socks, knit by Nora. 

They watched her chest rise up and down as she slept peacefully. Shelby ran her hand over the tiny bit of soft brown hair on her head, before leaning down to kiss her, taking in her new baby smell.

“She’s perfect.” Shelby whispered, leaning into Toni. 

“That’s cuz you made her, and because you’re doing such a good job with her.” Toni told her. 

“You made her, too. And you’re doing the best job.” Shelby said, raising their joined hands to give Toni’s a kiss. 

“We’re pretty much the best moms ever.” Toni said with a smirk. 

“We should get shirts made.” Shelby replied with a kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoyed! I just pounded this out quickly so I hope there weren’t too many mistakes.
> 
> So many awesome people requested that I write more about Shoni and Baby Isla and I’m so thankful for all those comments! PoliteCryptid specifically asked for more pregnancy scenes toobiesttop/ Kayla asked for the scene of Isla meeting her aunties! 
> 
> I 100% want to write more about this! I have some prompts from comments already that I’m planning to fill but let me know if you have any ideas! Or if you could just leave a comment saying what you thought, I’d love that too! Thank you!


End file.
